Roller hockey won all four games played in Midwest Collegiate Roller Hockey League (MCRHL) action February 4-5 at Salt Creek Sports Center in Palatine, Illinois. The Lions stopped Arizona State 8-3 and Bethel University (Tenn.) 8-1 on Saturday, then defeated the Sun Devils once again 7-2 and topped Grand Canyon University 4-3 in overtime on Sunday.
In the opener against Arizona State, it was a back-and-forth affair through the first period until Lindenwood took control of the contest in the second with four unanswered goals.
Eric Kurpiewski delivered the opening score just 52-seconds into the game on a play set up by
Nick DellaMorte and
Clayton Liefeld. The Sun Devils tied things just over a minute later before a DellaMorte power play goal gave the Lions a 2-1 lead at 3:16. DellaMorte earned his third point of the period when he and Liefeld helped
Nathan Durrans light the lamp with five minutes remaining. Arizona State pulled back within a single tally with a power play goal at 10:01 and it was 3-2 Lindenwood.
Brett Worster netted the first goal of the second period for the Lions off a feed from
Parker Winkelmann at the 1:33 mark.
Christian Acosta made it 5-2 with an unassisted power play goal at 3:16, followed by a
Jack Wedoski effort at 4:52 with help from Liefeld's third assist of the game. Liefeld then scored off a pass from DellaMorte with 49-seconds remaining and it was 7-2 Lions.
With the outcome no longer in doubt, both teams traded goals in the third period, both coming on power plays.
Connor Bradley sounded the horn off a pass from Acosta at 8:18, then the Sun Devils scored with 1:07 remaining in regulation.
Lindenwood outshot Arizona State 35-14 and
Jacob Robinson stopped 11 of 14 shots in goal for the Lions. DellaMorte earned Star No. 1 honors with a goal and three assists, Liefeld was named Star No. 2 with a goal and three assists, and Acosta received Star No. 3 recognition with a goal and assist.
Lindenwood actually trailed in the win against Bethel before tying the game late in the first period and taking the lead for good early in the second. Kurpiewski netted a shot with help from Acosta with 53-seconds left in the first, followed by a DellaMorte blast at 1:04 of the second, assisted by Jackson Wozniak. Sean Maude hit the back of the net at 3:38 on a play set up by Winkelmann and
Bennett Blake, then DellaMorte split the pipes at 7:17 with help from Wozniak and Durrans. The final goal of the second came off the blade of
Connor Bradley from a Liefeld pass with just four-seconds remaining.
Brycon Haney-Johnson put the puck in the net at the 44-second mark of the third, assisted by Winkelmann, and Worster rounded out scoring for the Lions with an unassisted goal at 2:47.
Marky Hager stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced as Lindenwood outshot the Wildcats 30-14. DellaMorte earned Star No. 1 honors with two goals, Wozniak was named Star No. 2 with two assists, and Winkelmann received Star No. 3 recognition with two assists.
Unlike the first game, the Lions controlled the rematch against the Sun Devils from the opening faceoff on Sunday. DellaMorte and Haney-Johnson scored in the opening period to give Lindenwood a 2-0 lead, then Haney-Johnson and Durrans sounded the horn in the second to make it 4-0. The Lions built a 5-0 advantage early in the third on a Worster goal before Arizona State broke the shutout on the power play. Worster scored again midway through the period with Kurpiewski netting the final Lindenwood goal with the man-advantage. The Sun Devils scored with one-second remaining in regulation for the final margin.
Hager made 18 saves on 20 shots faced as the Lions outshot Arizona State 33-20. Haney-Johnson earned Star No. 1 recognition with two goals, Worster was named Star No. 2 with two goals, and Acosta received Star No. 3 honors with three assists.
The final game of the weekend against the Lopes proved to be the most challenging for Lindenwood. After taking an early two-goal lead, Grand Canyon scored the next three, forcing a late Lions comeback and an overtime winner.
Acosta set up the first two goals for Lindenwood, initially to Durrans at 2:11 of the first, followed by a DellaMorte power play chance at 5:43, but the Lopes came charging back with two even-strength efforts in the final four minutes. GCU took the lead after a power play goal midway through the second and it remained 3-2 in favor of the Lopes through the remainder of the period and deep into the third. A GCU hooking penalty gave the Lions a power play with only 1:49 remaining in regulation and Acosta made the best of it unassisted with 53 ticks remaining on the clock. The final heroics came from DellaMorte with an unassisted game-winner in overtime.
Lindenwood outshot the Lopes 35-24 and
Jacob Robinson stopped 21 of the 24 shots he faced. Acosta was named Star No. 1 with a goal and two assists, and DellaMorte earned Star No. 2 honors with two goals.
With the four victories, roller hockey improved to 11-0 in conference play and to 14-1 overall. The Lions will next compete at the MCRHL Championships February 25-26 at Vetta 70 in St. Peters and the All-American Sports Mall.
